A landlocked country the size of Arkansas, lying between India and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, Nepal contains Mount Everest (29,035 ft; 8,850 m), the tallest mountain in the world. Along its southern border, Nepal has a strip of level land that is partly forested, partly cultivated. North of that is the slope of the main section of the Himalayan range, including Everest and many other peaks higher than 8,000 m.
Country lead by Ruler: King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva (2001)
Population
28,287,147 (growth rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 31.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 65.3/1000; life expectancy: 60.2; density per sq mi: 536
Land Area
52,819 sq mi (136,801 sq km); total area: 54,363 sq mi (140,800 sq km)
Monetary unit
Nepalese rupee Language
Nepali 48% (official), Maithali 12%, Bhojpuri 7%, Tharu 6%, Tamang 5%, others. English spoken by many in government and business (2001)
Ethnicity Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Chetri 15.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001)
Religion Hindu 81%, Buddhist 11%, Islam 4%, Kirant 4% (2001)
Transportation Railways: total: 59 km (2002). Highways: total: 13,223 km; paved: 4,073 km; unpaved: 9,150 km (1999 est.). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 45 (2002).
